Langford mentions being 'part of the best recruiting class ever to come to Vanderbilt and putting Nashville back on the map' and when he might decide on his college of choice.
Matt Stone, Courier Journal

Garland and fellow five-star recruit Simi Shittu are the first McDonald's All Americans to sign to play for the Commodores. Joined by four-star small forward Aaron Nesmith, Drew has assembled the seventh-best 2018 class in the country, according to 247Sports.

Garland says the class isn't finished.

Romeo Langford, the undecided five-star shooting guard from New Albany, Indiana, will choose between the Commodores, Indiana and Kansas in late late April. Garland said he likes his future team's chance to land another elite talent.

"It's going to be crazy," said Garland, a point guard from Brentwood, Tennessee. "We already have two McDonald's All Americans, so when we step foot on campus we're making history. Just imagine if Romeo stepped on campus? It's going to be the same way. Vanderbilt has never had McDonald's All Americans before and we could have three or four. That's what we're going for."

The Commodores staff is also pursuing undecided five-star McDonald's All American E.J. Montgomery. In Langford, though, Garland sees a close friend and a good fit in the backcourt. The two first met in eighth grade and played with and against each other each summer, notably on an Adidas basketball trip to Italy last year.

"We just started getting really, really tight when we went to Italy together last year," Garland said. "We bonded and then when Vanderbilt got into the mix we started getting tighter."

Garland said he was first introduced to Drew as a third-grader. Garland lived in Gary, Indiana at the time and Drew was a young assistant coach at nearby Valparaiso, a program he eventually took over and led for five seasons before leaving for Vanderbilt in 2016.

"When he got the job I knew I needed to make the first step and go to Vanderbilt," Garland said.

Drew, who was Valparaiso's first NBA first-round draft pick in 1998, is the main reason Langford said he is considering the Commodores.

"Just him as a coach, how smart he is and his resume playing in the league and he does everything based on what he learned to get players to the league," Langford said.

Shittu met Langford for the first time this week. Shittu, the No. 10 overall player in the senior class, called Langford a "real humble guy" and an "unselfish" player on the court.

"Real smooth and he's real sneaky athletic," said the 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward. "He can jump. He would fit right into our system next year because we're going to run up and down and he likes doing that, too. Hopefully we have a good chance to get him."

Garland said, with Langford included, he envisions a backcourt next season with interchangeable positions.

"It could be intense," he said. "We're both going to be handling the ball, we're unselfish, there will be a lot of lobs and we'll play defense."

That's why Garland has spent time this week giving his pitch for Langford to join him at Vanderbilt. He hasn't been alone in the sales endeavor. Kansas signees David McCormack, Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes — a trio of McDonald's All Americans — also have let Langford hear plenty this week about the opportunity to join them with the Jayhawks. And Langford said he keeps in constant contact with Indiana point guard signee Robert Phinisee.

"Most of the time I'm just joking with him," Garland said. "I'm going to let him make the decision. This is his future. I'm going to joke with him, tell him how much I like the fit but I'm not going to press him. I'm just going to let it ride."

Langford said earlier this week he plans to visit Indiana one more time and will likely travel to Nashville for a final face-to-face with Drew, too. There's more history to make, Garland said, about potentially closing the Vanderbilt class with Langford.

But he ended his pitch with a diplomatic gesture.

"I'm going to be happy for him wherever he goes," Garland said. "I mean, that's my guy. He's going to pick the best fit for him."